$120 For Running Shoes Or Carefree & Barefoot?
Racing Colorado
Our friends at Nike surely have a fast answer to this question, along with stacks of supporting studies. But recently there is more talk of the benefits of barefoot running, including lower impact and reduced injuries.
A Harvard study on barefoot running looked at types of foot strike associated with different types of running. Sprinters and the habitually barefoot seem to use mainly Forefoot or mid0foot strike, while hoe-wearing endurance runners (and the majority of joggers) use rear-foot strike. By using a force platform look at forces of impact for each step type it was easy to see that rear-foot strike, either in shoes or barefoot, has a large spike of applied force just at the time of landing, while forefoot running produces a smoother wave, with little or no sudden impact forces – essentially a much smoother ride. This step also helps to lower the body’s centre of mass relative to the vertical force, and as such reduces the mean force acting on the feet.
The study discusses how fore-foot- and mid-foot-strike gaits were probably more common when humans ran barefoot or in shoes such as moccasins, and how they may protect the feet and lower limbs from some of the impact-related injuries now experienced by a high percentage of runners.
Given that the incidence of running injuries remains significant despite advances in footwear technology, is it reasonable to suggest that even the best shoes may not be as good for you as no shoes at all? Indeed, many high-level athletes include some barefoot running on grass in their training regimen.
Colorado even has a barefoot 5K race in June, The Naked Foot, where barefoot running is required. The terrain even includes a significant amount of pavement, as well as grass.
So… are you afraid of barefoot running? Have you been injured by it? Do you swear by it? All comments are welcome!
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2 Responses to “$120 For Running Shoes Or Carefree & Barefoot?”
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The big problem with that study was that there is no such thing as an impact related injury. What injuries are casued by high impacts? Not one study has been able to link high impacts to any injury! Also the study did not even bother to mention the extra loads that go through the calf muscles and achilles tendon during forefoot striking. Also look at the mean age of the groups they anaylsed – this was some really bad research.
The only thing “bad” about the research is the people who take it out of context and misinterpret it. This is just the beginning of the studies that will take place over the next few years to help determine which style of running is the least detrimental to the body. It’s not the “law of the land”. All bodies are different and some can tolerate certain things a lot more than others anyways. The best part about the study is that it got everyone talking about the topic, giving tons of runners who never even considered running barefoot or in minimalist shoes the chance to give it a try and see if it works for themselves.